Don’t Use Your Kid as an Excuse – Make Your Kid the Mascot of Everything

It seems like minutes after the new little human comes into this world the responsibilities we have towards others come rushing back. We barely get our sea legs under us and we are already wading out into the ocean. Attending all of the holiday parties, weddings, and every other social gathering you could possibly be invited to. It becomes incredibly easy and overly tempting to use the kid as an excuse to pass on pretty much everything. I mean really who would blame you anyway, right?

It’s a slippery slope to start using the baby as an excuse to not go anywhere. The best advice I can give to this is don’t do it. Instead, make your kid the best part of the gathering. Ok, maybe not weddings, the bride and groom kinda have a trump card there. By showing up to any gathering with a new baby you have already set yourself aside from the crowd. You (ok, well, your kid) has become the new star of the show, so use this new power to your advantage.

Extra Hands

The greatest part about going to these types of parties is the number of people who REALLY want to hold your baby. You will have so much time with both of your arms free you will almost feel the need to do jumping jacks, push-ups, or anything else two-arm related. Take this time to let others hold and play with the baby. This ultimately helps build up that babysitting roladex.

Helps Baby’s Social Skills

I am a dad who has always been very welcoming of our friends and family who want to hold my little girl. I can tell you it has made a world of difference in her ability to hang out with others. This has been key as she has gotten into the toddler stage. She is far more of a hassle to take with me every time I need to hit the bathroom. From these early shared moments, she tends to be comfortable hanging with our friends for a minute while I do the running. Not to mention, you can pick out the kids that maybe didn’t get the same experience. They are usually recognizable by the parents who look like they were hit by a bus (or wish they were).

Now I am not saying this is the best idea for everyone in every situation. There is plenty of reasons why this may not be a great idea, not the least of which is illness transferring from someone. But, I would bet there are at least a handful of doctors out there who would side with me on the idea of exposing your kid to others from a young age in order to start developing their ability to interact with more than just Mom and Dad.

Extra Fun

From the beginning, it has actually been fun to take our little monster with us. Her world is new (and her in our world is new). Take the opportunity as a chance to rock a cheeky onesie. Have them touch something they never had before and watch their faces explode with excitement. Soon you will realize the moments you would have missed out on had you used your kid as an excuse.

At the same time you became the new second favorite person in the room, you have also brought on a new responsibility. By making your kid the mascot of everywhere you go you have not only begun setting your kid up for success but also made yourself look like a kickass dad.